


Carousel of Love

by FallacyFallacy



Category: Little Busters!
Genre: Advice, Ensemble Cast, F/F, Fluff, Getting Together, Humour, Love Confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-10
Updated: 2014-08-10
Packaged: 2018-02-12 14:07:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2112810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallacyFallacy/pseuds/FallacyFallacy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When it comes to Komari-chan, there is nothing Rin wouldn't do. She'd travel all around the world or scale mountains to make her happy.</p><p>But when Komari suddenly confesses and Rin doesn't know how to respond, she's stuck.</p><p>But then, the answer seems obvious. If she doesn't know whether or not she loves Komari, all she needs to do is figure it out! People always say that everyone falls in love, so if she just thinks about it a bit, there's no way she couldn't work it out. It can't be that hard, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Carousel of Love

“And that's why...” 

Komari fiddled with her sweater nervously as Rin watched on, thoroughly bemused.

All of a sudden, Komari looked up, eyes shining.

“I'm in love with you, Rin-chan!”

Rin stared.

Komari bit her lip, eyes wide and concerned.

“...wait, whaaaaat?!”

Rin tried to process the scene before her, but her mind was failing her. She narrowed her eyes, then raised her eyebrows; began to take a step back but resisted.

Komari smiled a little sadly. “I really, really, really like you, Rin-chan.”

“Wait, but.” Problem number one: processed. “Um... we're both girls.”

Komari blinked. “Yeeees...?” But after a moment of no response, she hastened to answer the unspoken question. “Ahh, girls can be in love with other girls, too!”

“Ohhh. Really?”

“Yeah!” Komari nodded vigorously.

 _...Huh._ Rin had not known that. She bit her lip. She supposed it made sense though.

Eventually, Komari slumped a little bit, smiling sympathetically. “...but, it's okay,” she said, almost quietly. “I wasn't really expecting a response or anything! I just... really wanted to tell you.” She was fiddling with her sweater again. Rin hated it when she did that.

“Er... what do you want me to do then?” Rin asked, hesitantly. “Are we going to go out?”

“Do you want to go out with me?”

“I don't...know.”

Komari shrugged, and giggled a little. “Then, no!”

“Isn't that what you want, though?”

“Only if you want to go out with me, too.”

“...oh.” When she said it like that, it really did seem like a problem.

“But it's okay, really!” Komari waved her hands dismissively. “Like I said, I didn't really expect you to say yes! I'm really happy just being with you, Rin-chan.”

For a moment, Komari seemed about to turn and walk away. Something frantic raised in Rin.

“Wait!” she cried, and tried to sort out her thoughts as Komari stopped, startled. “I didn't say I didn't want to...” She pursed her lips, frustrated. “I just don't really know! I don't get this kind of thing...”

Again, there was Komari's sympathetic smile. _Why does she keep trying to comfort me when she's clearly the sad one?!_ Rin wondered, irritated. “Yeah. That's just the way you are.”

Rin pursed her lips again, further. “It doesn't have to be. I could figure it out.”

“...eh?” Komari was wide-eyed in surprise again. “Love?”

“Yeah! I just need to study up or something! Then I'll know about all that!”

“...could you really?”

“Of course I could! If it's for Komari-chan, that's nothing!”

And it really did feel like nothing. Here Komari was, having been so brave – if all Rin could say in response was 'I don't know', that was unforgivably wishy-washy.

But Komari actually seemed touched.

“...thank you. That'd make me really happy, Rin-chan!”

“Of course.” Rin stood straight up. “I'll definitely figure it out. And really quickly, too! I'll have you an answer by Monday!” she declared, on a whim.

Komari giggled again. “Thank you!”

“You don't-”

And then Komari was hugging her again, hair soft by Rin's cheek.

Rin struggled to maintain her earlier defiance as she blushed. “You... you don't need to thank me.”

“Rin-chan made me happy, so I'm going to thank her. That's all that matters~!”

 _I'll definitely find a way to make you even happier_ , Rin thought to herself, and nodded.

*

This, Rin thought with a groan as she fell face-first into the desk, was _stupid._

In all honesty, up until just a few hours ago, Rin's approach to love had been that she sorta didn't get it and definitely didn't care. She'd been told over and over that when she got older she would start to care, but she'd actually tried it out already, and you know? It wasn't that great. It had been just the same as being friends with Riki, except people kept making annoying comments and Riki wanted them to get closer. And truth be told, she might not have minded getting to know him better. But then as suddenly as it had started, Riki was telling her quietly when it was just the two of them that he didn't think he felt that way. Since he still insisted he wanted to be there for her, Rin didn't feel upset. And ever since, Riki had been telling everyone else that it just 'didn't work out.' But what was there to work out, anyway?

Though, to be fair, Riki was a guy. Maybe it was different between girls? Ugh.

All she could think of was that annoying smile Kyousuke would get as he patted her head and said she'd fall for someone someday. Nobody ever seemed to think she'd need to do any studying or anything. But then how was she supposed to know what she was feeling?

Maybe, she'd thought, it's expected that girls know what they feel because they read about love and romance and stuff a lot. Since Rin wasn't interested in that, she'd never gotten that. And that was how she found herself in the school library, surrounded by boring-looking light novels and the few not-quite-as-boring-looking-but-still-pretty-damn-dull comics she'd managed to find.

The result? Useless.

They were all the same. As soon as the girl saw the guy, her heart pounded and her head went light and she wondered what she was feeling. They'd meet a bunch of times, and argue a few times, and then there would be a moment when she would suddenly know that she was in love with him. Well, Rin's heart had certainly pounded when she first met Komari, but that was just because she was feeling shy.

Probably. At least, the girls in these stories didn't generally seem as shy as Rin. But she wasn't sure.

But that still didn't help much. How was she supposed to 'just know'? She couldn't wait around for the right moment – she needed to know by Monday, or she'd break her promise to Komari-chan! So should she manufacture a situation like the ones in these stories?

But while there were more commonalities between the stories, none of the options seemed all that great. This was all that she'd managed to come up with:

Make herself jealous. (But if she knew the guy didn't really like Komari-chan, she wouldn't feel jealous, but if he did like her, she might decide that Rin wasn't worth the risk and go with him instead. Too risky.)  
Have Komari do something really nice for her, so that Rin realises suddenly that Komari really cares. (Not possible – that'd already happened. Many times, actually. The thought made Rin blush, but it didn't make her Know anything, so into the pile it went.)  
Have a life-threatening situation so that Rin realises that she can't live without Komari (NO.)

…so there she was: back at square one. She groaned a little against the wood of the desk.

“Wafu? That was a weird sound... Ah, Rin-chan!”

“Heyyy, it's Rin-chan! What are you doing around here?”

When Rin sat up, she found a cheerful and curious Kud and Haruka standing before her.

“Hi,” she said, genuinely pleased to see them but still deeply irritated.

“Oooh, I didn't know you were into romance, Rin-chan!” Haruka said gleefully, swiping one of the manga to flick through it. “Why – you got a cruuuush?”

“Ah, you have Watashi ni Morae!” Kud said excitedly, picking up another one. “This one is soooo good, it's my all-time favourite! It was really hard to keep up with it while we were travelling, but my grandpa really wanted me to keep up my Japanese, so he paid for every volume as soon as it came out!”

“Oh yeah? What's so good about it?” Haruka asked.

“It's about this girl who doesn't have many friends, and she has a crush on this guy who's really popular but also really really nice! And they end up becoming friends and it's really sweet!”

“Oh?” Rin's attention locked on immediately. “How did she know she liked him?”

“Hm?” Kud raised her eyebrows, then tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Hmmmm... I'm not really sure! She already liked him in the beginning, I think... It's been a while since I read the early volumes, heh!”

“Now that was a pretty suspicious question...!” Haruka taunted, but Rin barely noticed, because she'd just realised something.

She had dated Riki, obviously, and it hadn't worked. But Kud had also dated Riki as well, hadn't she? And hadn't she, like, actually liked him? And Kud wasn't like an annoying girl in a story – Rin could just outright ask her how that'd happened!

“What about you?” she asked, immediately. “How did you know you liked Riki?”

“Eh? Haha, why do you want to know?”

Rin hesitated, suddenly embarrassed. “...no reason.”

Haruka squealed. “Ahh, this is so cute – Rin-chan finally has feelings for someone! Ahh, it's adorable, I gotta tell everyone!”

“No way!” Rin cried, lunging forward to grab at Haruka's wrists as they reached for her phone.

“I guess, for Riki-kun, it's because he was kind to me.”

Rin paused, head turning back to Kud. “Hm?”

Kud nodded, looking a little thoughtful. “Yeah. I wasn't really used to staying in the one place long enough to have friends, while everyone else already knew each other, so I was feeling pretty lonely. Especially since some people were making jokes about me. But Riki-kun was always so, so kind to me. That's why I fell for him, I think.”

Rin chewed her lip. Komari-chan had been nice to Rin, certainly. But she was nice to everyone, wasn't she? But, the same could be said of Riki, too... But there were lots of people who were kind to Rin, beyond just Komari-chan. In fact, Riki was just as kind to Rin as he had been to Kud, and Rin was pretty sure she didn't have feelings for him.

Rin sighed. Well, damn. So much for that plan.

“I guess you wanna know what I think, too, now?” Haruka asked, still under Rin's clasp.

Rin let go. “No.”

“Whaaaat?!” Haruka grabbed for her again, holding her around the chest to tap at Rin's head. “Hey, hey, you should be listening to your romantic sempai, you know that?!”

“Get...off me!” Rin yelled, struggling to break free.

“Buuuut don't you wanna know what you should be doing for your lover, huh? Don't you think you should be getting all the advice you can get?!”

Rin grit her teeth, ceasing her movements. She highly doubted that listening to Haruka would help at all, if asking Kud hadn't.

But then she remembered Komari's sad face, and...

“...fine, fine! Just do it already!”

“Haha, yay!” Haruka turned her entrapment into a hug and then pulled back. “All riiiiight, Riki-kun, Riki-kun, hmmmm...” She turned around, staring into space, and scratched her cheek.

“...to be honest, my answer's probably pretty similar to Kudoko's, nyahaha!”

Rin glared. Haruka appeared unaffected.

“He is a very nice person,” Kud agreed.

“But... hm.” Haruka tilted her head to one side, exaggerated expression softening. “I guess it is a bit more than that. Um... well. I wasn't really doing too well there for a while... I guess.”

She laughed a little, awkwardly.

“To put it mildly. There really wasn't anyone there at all that seemed to really like me or think I was worth something. But Riki-kun... he did that. He stood up for me – protected me. 

“...or something like that.” She shrugged, looking a little sheepish. “Well, anyway that's over now, but that's why I started to get feelings for him, anyway!”

“Oh.” 

Rin thought. Again, the situation wasn't really the same. Rin hadn't had too many friends before Komari, true, but she had still had her brother and childhood friends on her side. And, Komari didn't really try to protect her – if anything, it was usually Rin who was trying to protect her. Did it work the other way around? Riki had liked Haruka as well, but then they broke up, so maybe not.

...just as she'd thought: useless.

“But there's a way way way way waaaaay more interesting question to ask here!” Haruka cried, pointing a significant finger into the air. “And that is... who exactly is Rin-chan getting all mushy over?”

“Yeah!” Kud clapped her hands eagerly. “I'm so excited for you, Rin-chan?”

“Wha?” Rin shook her head, trying not to blush. She failed. “It's nobody.”

“Ah, ah, ah!” Haruka tutted. For a moment, her stance changed, and Rin couldn't help imagining a detective hat atop her head. “But why else would you be reading romantic stories that you normally have no interest in? Why else would you be asking your friends about why they fell for their boyfriends? And, most of all, why is it that you stopped struggling and submitted to my superior knowledge when I reminded you of what your crush would think?”

“...no reason.”

“Hey, don't deny things unreasonably!”

Haruka tried to grab onto Rin again, but she darted away, and swerved around the table.

“You can't run away from your problems, Rin-chan!” Haruka called after her as Rin ran.

“I don't caaaaare!”

*

Rin glanced to the left. Rin glanced to the right.

Around her, cats mewled.

She was pretty sure Haruka hadn't followed her. And even if she had, for all that she was energetic, Haruka wasn't as great a runner as Rin. If it were Kud, Rin might be in trouble, but that didn't seem to have occurred either.

Finally, she was safe. She relaxed against the board behind her and let herself stroke the head of a nearby cat.

“So, I heard you were looking for love advice.”

Rin jumped nearly out of her skin and whirled around. “What what what?!”

Kurugaya was leaning over the side of the walkway, head directly above where Rin had just been sitting. Beside her stood Mio, watching Rin with a typically inscrutable expression.

Kurugaya sighed. “Really, though – it's a little insulting that you'd ask someone else before me. You know that anego is always here to help you out when you need it, Rin-chan,” she said smoothly.

“...I guess.”

“So, it's about how to know if you're in love, then, huh?”

“No,” Rin insisted. “I don't want to know about that.”

“It's definitely a good question – just the sort of thing a young maiden at your age should be wondering.”

“I said I don't need any advice!”

“But, the answer is actually very obvious.”

Kurugaya paused. Rin waited, suddenly entranced.

“Passion,” she said, voice heavy with meaning.

“...passion?”

Kurugaya nodded knowingly. “It's all well and good to like somebody, but that's really nothing special. What really sets someone apart is when you not only feel incredibly good when they're around, but also when you feel terrible at the thought of not being with them.”

“Really?”

“Umu. If you like someone, you enjoy being with them, but you're not too bothered about them, right? To really be in love with someone, you have to want to be with them as much as possible, you have to feel like you'll die at the thought of them not liking you, you have to want to kiss them passionately and become one with them and-”

“Th-that's enough! I get it!”

Kurugaya smirked. “Well, Rin-chan? Is there someone you want to do things like that with?”

“No!” Rin yelled, face bright red. “Definitely not!”

“Eh, seriously? That's a disappointment.”

“You only wanted to be the subject of it,” Mio murmured.

“Well, obviously!” But then Kurugaya raised her eyebrows. “What about you, Nishizono-joshi? What do your studies tell you?”

“...I don't think my studies are appropriate for Rin-san.”

“I don't want to know them.”

“Well, what about your personal experience then? That'd be more suitable, yes?”

“...experience. You mean, with Naoe-san?”

Kurugaya nodded. Mio looked away, thoughtfully.

“Well... I suppose that partially it was his kindness that drew me to him.”

Rin slumped. Kindness again?! Didn't anybody like anything else?

“...but that is not all,” Mio continued, as though having noticed Rin's expression. “From the first moment I saw him, I was somewhat intrigued by him. And as I came to know him, that curiosity only grew stronger.”

“Why?”

“That is because...” Mio looked down slightly, almost abashed. “He has such a cute and feminine face and disposition. It is definitely my type.”

Rin stared. “Type...?”

“Ahh, yes, yes.” Kurugaya, however, was nodding deeply. “I know exactly what you mean. When you see a cute face like that, you can't help but want to tease it, right?”

“Exactly,” Mio murmured.

_But what does 'type' mean, though?_

“There's something just irresistable about that kind, isn't there? What do you call it – a true submissive, or something of the like?”

Mio shook her head. “Actually, I disagree. I enjoy cute faces, but I prefer it if their personalities are not so clear cut. A character with a pretty face, but who can sometimes act cool, is much more interesting.”

“So you're more a fan of gap moe, then?” Kurugaya snorted. “Mmm... well, I have to concede you have a point. A little bit of fire can definitely make the lovestruck moments much cuter. But it should always revert back to the normal order – the charm of a earnest, pure girl working hard for you can't be beat.”

“But that doesn't work for me, because that would mean that a full half of the relationship would be boring to me, as dominant guys don't interest me. Pairings that reverse the normal dominance order introduce some cuteness into both of them, making them both far more attractive, and the overall ship much more appealing.”

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS TALKING ABOUT?!”

Kurugaya and Mio stared. Mio actually looked slightly red.

“Well,” Kurugaya said, slightly eager, “we were discussing-”

“I don't wanna know!!” Rin cried. And then again, she sped off.

*

She was managing it. All her years of hiding from strangers had paid off. It was now Sunday morning and Rin hadn't yet run into another person trying to give her advice.

She was also no closer to figuring out if she liked Komari than she had been on Saturday. And she was running out of time, quickly.

So when the penny finally dropped and she felt a hand fall onto her shoulder, all she could do was groan in resignation.

“So, it seems my little sister is finally growing up...”

Rin gurgled a little.

“Hey, congratulations!” Masato stepped around the bench where she'd been covertly eating at her breakfast to beam down at her. “So who is it, huh?”

“Well, you don't need to tell us if you don't want to,” Riki added. But he couldn't seem to help adding, “But we'd like to do anything we can to help!”

“You were already asking around for advice on what love is, right?” Kengo added, nodding with a much too self-satisfied smile. “We can definitely help out there.”

“I don't need any advice,” she insisted.

“Nonsense!” Kyousuke replied, patting her shoulder again. “This is the first time you've had feelings like this before, right? Then it's all the more important that we make these experiences into special memories.”

“Well...” Riki said, a little lamely. “Not quite first, but... I guess so...”

“True, but this situation is different. This is the first time Rin is interested enough in romance to ask around about it, after all.”

“Heh, it's pretty cute!” Masato said, cheerfully.

“It's not cute! You're all just going along with whatever you feel like!!”

“But the question of what love is is certainly a difficult one,” Kyousuke continued, finally taking his hand away to stroll around in front of her.

_Does nobody listen to me anymore...?_

“If it's me personally, I'd say that it's about dedication.”

Rin didn't even bother to ask. Kyousuke kept going anyway.

“Loyalty. When you really, truly care about someone, you'd want to do anything for them to make them happy. The thought of them not being happy is just not an option. Even your own well-being means nothing to you compared to theirs.”

“Heeh... as expected, you're kind of a romantic,” Riki murmured.

“Of course!”

But Rin was thinking. She'd definitely do a lot for Komari, that was true. She couldn't say for sure that she'd do anything to save her, but it felt like that might be right. But then, there were other people she would do that for, too. When she had decided to do anything possible to save Komari's life, she had been thinking of her other friends as well. She couldn't be in love with all of them, right?

“What about the romantic president? What does he say?”

Kengo nodded. “Part of love is about looking up to someone – seeing something in them that you admire and want to emulate. It's about seeing the best in them, and seeing how you can still keep improving yourself.”

“It can't always be about seeing their good qualities, though,” Kyousuke replied.

“Of course not, but it's a sign of humility to be able to say that they have strengths that you don't.”

Was this true with Komari? Certainly, Rin very much admired how easily she was able to talk to people and her selfless spirit that drove her to help others. But she also admired Kurugaya's confidence, Kud's persistence, Mio's thoughtfulness, and Haruka's... energy. (Maybe.) And, if Rin got less shy, she'd have less reason to admire Komari, right? So wouldn't that mean she'd fall out of love with her?

“It can't just be watching someone from far away, though, right?” Masato was scratching his chin. “If it were me, I'd say that it's more about enjoying your time spent with someone. As long as you can have fun being with them, and they can as well, what more do you need?”

“No way, there's way more to it than that!” Kyousuke protested. “That's just, like, a normal acquaintance.”

“But, all that stuff about doing anything you can to save them... How often does that actually come up, in real life?”

“He has a point,” Kengo added.

Kyousuke sighed, irritably.

Rin definitely enjoyed being around Komari a lot. Being with her was more fun than almost anyone else. But here as well, Komari wasn't alone – Rin also really enjoyed being around her other friends. And besides, didn't this conflict with Kurugaya's advice that if you merely enjoyed being around them, that meant you only liked them, not loved them?

“All right, Riki!” Kyousuke turned abruptly, looking determined. “You have more experience then all of us combined. Who do you think is right?”

“Eh, me?” Riki blinked. “No, um, I guess you're right, but I don't really feel like I know that much at all...”

“No, Kyousuke's right – you've already dated, like, four different girls, right?” Masato pressed.

“...technically, five, but... Well, those were unusual circumstances.”

“But your feelings were real, right?”

Riki glanced up to Kyousuke and sighed. “...well, fine. Okay. Um, I guess, then...”

Riki looked at Rin for a moment, and then turned away, staring into space.

“...something like a combination of the two things, I guess? There's got to be something separating an average friend from someone you have feelings for. And admiration does have something to do with it. But for me, the big thing would have to be... understanding.”

“Understanding?” Kyousuke repeated, looking a little unimpressed.

But Riki nodded. “Yeah. You really want to understand that person – to know what they like and dislike, what they want out of life and what they think about things, and even just little things like how they act in everyday moments. And you want them to understand you, too – you want to open yourself up to them and show your true self, even if it means they might not accept it, because you believe you can trust them, and if it works, it means more than anything in the world.”

The boys were silent.

“That's... actually really poetic,” Kengo finally said.

“Yeah. Wow, Riki – you really are good!”

Riki ducked his head. “Ahah... well, it's just the first thing that came to mind, anyway...”

But, that didn't really apply to Rin because-

...actually, no. She did want to know more about Komari-chan. And she wanted Komari to know about her, as well.

All right then, Rin though, seriously. One out of eight.

...was still seriously shitty odds.

“Heeeeey, are you guys talking with Rin?!”

_Oh god, not again..._

Within moments Haruka had rushed forwards, Kurugaya rather more sedately behind her.

“Mm!” Kyousuke answered. “We all just finished giving her our advice, actually.”

“About her super secret serious crush, right?!”

“So, do we know who the recipient is, yet?” Kurugaya asked.

Kyousuke shook his head. “Not yet.”

“Ah, I gotta call everyone up! They gotta be here for this!”

“Huh? Wait, ah-” Rin reached for Haruka but immediately found her back pressed against the chest of a taller anego.

“Sorry, Rin-joshi, but I'm on Haruka's side here.”

“Wait,” Rin cried, panic starting to overtake. “No way, you can't call everyone over!”

“Aaaand, done!” Haruka pressed the button. “Sent!”

“Stop it! Give me that...!”

“No can do, Rin-joshi.”

“Er...” Riki muttered from somewhere to her side. “Doesn't this scene look kind of worrying...?”

“I don't think they have any ill-intent, though...”

“Get off of me...! You have to stop them!!”

“Come to think of it, everybody seems to already know, anyway, don't they?” Kengo said.

“I heard from Haruka and Kud-joshi, and Mio-joshi was with me at the time, so that's not too wrong,” Kurugaya answered. “But unless I'm mistaken, there's still one person left. Only the best friend – funny how it turned out.”

Finally Kurugaya let go of Rin, who immediately shoved her hand into her pocket for her phone. She had opened it and was frantically typing a message when...

“Fue? What's going on here?”

Rin froze.

“Everyone looks really excited...”

“That's because we're all talking about Rin's crush!” Haruka said brightly.

All colour drained out of Rin.

“Ohhh, does that mean Komari-san is the only one who hasn't given advice yet?” Kud asked, running up to the group; Mio also walked towards them, a little behind her.

“A-advice... on what?”

“What you think it means to be in love with someone!” Masato answered.

“Or why you started to get feelings for someone in the first place,” Haruka continued.

“Ehh... is that so...”

Staring at the ground, Rin couldn't see Komari's face. It took a long time for her to respond. But when she finally spoke, her voice sounded even more gentle than usual.

“Hmmm... well, from the beginning, I thought they seemed really really cute, and I felt like I wanted to be able to make them smile! But as I got to know them more, what I started to really really love about them was how hard they tried – how they worked so, so hard to achieve their goals and didn't give up, even when it was difficult. The way they stayed strong, even when everything seemed to be against them.”

Rin felt like she wanted to cry.

“Or, um, that's the way it was for me!” Komari giggled sheepishly. “But umm, I actually need to be doing something at the moment, so I should probably go...”

“Sure,” Kyousuke said, a little flatly. “Go right ahead.”

There came another giggle, and then Rin heard the sounds of Komari walking away.

For a few moments, everyone was quiet.

“...you know,” Haruka said, as though reluctantly, “is it just me, or did it seem like...”

“Komari was talking about Rin, perhaps because she already confessed to her and the reason why Rin has been asking around is because she isn't sure how to respond,” Kurugaya summed up, with a sigh.

Rin covered her face.

“That... was my impression, as well,” Kyousuke agreed, with a little laugh.

“Oh man, I'm so sorry!” Haruka wailed. In a moment Rin felt her clasping her hands. “I didn't realise!”

“Urrrrghhhh...”

And then a soft voice came. “But, then that leaves us one question.”

The others turned to Mio. Her eyes were bright.

“Does Rin-san like Komari-san the same way?”

The awkward atmosphere lasted just one half second more before everyone exploded into movement.

“Wafuuu, this is so cute! You'd make a really really adorable couple, I'm so happy for you!”

“Yeah, you gotta tell us! Fess up, fess up!”

“I would definitely be interested in hearing some more about this.”

“Yeah, yeah – you should totally go for it, Rin! That'd be really cool!”

“Mm, that actually sounds like it would be really good for you, and you obviously both get along really well already!”

“So?” Kyousuke asked, finally cutting through the noise. But he looked as excited as everyone as he asked, “do you have feelings for her?”

That was it.

Rin felt the frustration of the afternoon flowing through her, making her tremble. Finally, she released it.

“Well, I don't know, do I?!” she yelled. “Because all the advice you guys gave me was useless!”

She whirled on the girls. “Lots of people are kind to me, not just Komari-chan! I'm the one protecting her, not the other way around! I don't want to feel that kind of passion for anyone, and I don't even know what a type is!”

“And you guys!” she cried, turning to the boys. “There are lots of people I'd do heapsanything for, and lots of people I enjoy being around, and lots of people I admire!”

She glared at them all, panting.

...but, unexpectedly, they didn't look chagrined and guilty. Instead, they mostly looked kind of sad.

“...well, if that's the way it is,” Kyousuke said with a sigh, and others nodded in agreement.

_Wait._

Rin glanced around quickly. Sure enough, the others were averting their eyes, looking regretful.

_They think I'm going to reject her._

For a few moments, everyone had been so happy at the thought of Rin and Komari dating. What would that be like, she wondered? Everyone seemed to think it was such a good idea. Would it really be so wonderful?

When she thought about it, she realised that she actually did want to know.

She wondered what Komari would do if they were dating. She wondered what she would do if they were dating.

It sounded kind of nice.

“...but.” As soon as everyone turned towards her, Rin regretted her decision to speak. But she couldn't stand seeing everyone's sad faces anymore.

“...I kind of want to say yes, anyway.”

For a moment, everyone continued to stare. Rin scowled.

And then, all of a sudden-

“Ahhh that's so amazing, Rin-chan!!”

“Oh my god oh my god this is so exciting!!”

Everyone was in a flurry. Kud and Haruka had clasped hands and were jumping up and down. Mio has clutching her face with her hands, staring at her with starry eyes. Masato and Kyousuke had both side by side pumped a fist into the air. Riki alone looking just as surprised as Rin by the response, but even he turned to her a moment later with the biggest smile she had ever seen him wear.

“You know what that means, right?” Kurugaya said, smirk threatening to overtake her whole face.

“Just one thing!” Kud agreed, exchanging a nod with Mio.

Haruka leaped towards Rin and grabbed her hands. “We totally need to help you confess!!”

“Wait – confess?!” Rin cried, but her words were lost in the cheering that followed. “H-hey, wait! I don't want that!!”

“Too late,” murmured Kurugaya close up to her as the others began moving, dragging her along in the middle. “We're on a mission now.”

“But – no!” Rin attempted, struggling just to keep up with everyone. “I can't confess! I don't know what to do!”

“That's what we're here for, right?” Kyousuke said in reply, giving her a thumbs up.

“But – no- don't- noooooooo!” Rin yelled as she was swept up by the current.

Through the school they took her, barrelling down corridors like an ongoing train.

“Wait a minute-” suddenly, from the beginning there was a loud cry.

“What on earth are you all doing running through the halls like this, getting in the way of other students? It's against school rules!”

Through the bodies in front of her, Rin could just see the stern image of Kanata standing before them, arms crossed.

“No no no, oneechan, this is really important!” Haruka pleaded. “This is about _love!_ ”

“Love?” Kanata repeated incredulously, as though she'd never heard a more ridiculous thing in her life.

“Yeah!” Kud piped up. “Because the thing is, we all need to help Rin-chan confess to Komari-chan!”

“...Kamikita?”

Kanata leaned over to get a look at Rin's face. Rin stared back.

Kanata searched her face for a few long moments. And then, she stood to one side.

“...you may pass.”

“Yahoooo!”

“But only this once!” she cried in futility as they all moved forward again.

In no time, they reached Rin's room. All together, they plonked Rin onto her bed and then spread out, organising in front of Kyousuke.

“All right!” Kyousuke declared, one hand on his hip and the other pointing dramatically. “Noumi and Saigusa – you handle the hair!”

Both girls saluted. “Aye aye, Kyousuke-san!” they said in unison.

“Kurugaya – we need the perfect date outfit to make Kamikita's heart beat fast!”

Kurugaya nodded. “I'm on it,” she said, and then disappeared.

“Masato and Kengo – we need to choose the absolutely perfect confession spot!”

“Mission accepted!” Kengo cried, and Masato agreed with a forceful nod and a grin, before they both headed off, too.

“And Nishizono – you need to craft the most absolutely, positively perfect lovey-dovey girls' confession!”

Mio nodded, eyes narrowed and determined. “I shall do everything in my ability,” she said.

“Er... what about me, then?” Riki asked, watching everyone around him move off.

“You, Riki, have the most important job of all,” Kyousuke said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“What's that?”

“Encouragement! You need to keep Rin's spirits up until the big moment!”

“What? But that's...” Riki looked at Rin. 

She tried, as best as possible, to signal 'please help me' with her expression.

“...I understand completely,” Riki said to Kyousuke, who gave him a thumbs up as well.

“No way...” Rin mumbled.

“All right, Rin-chan!” Rin felt a hand on her hair and jumped; Kud had moved behind her and was smoothing over her ponytail. “What kinds of styles do you normally put your hair in?”

“Ponytails,” Rin said, faintly.

“Hmmm... that is very cute, and suits Rin-chan very much! But I think it'd be really nice, and Komari-chan would really like it, if we did something a bit fancier, you know?” Kud leaned down to smile at Rin. “You're gonna look soooo cute!”

“I...” Rin paused. She looked away. Her brow furrowed. “...really?”

“Yeah!” Haruka replied, looking at Rin from the side. “Komari-chan's gonna be toootally overcome by emotion when she sees what you look like after this!” Slowly, Kud guided Rin's hair out of the hair tie and gradually began to brush it, while Haruka nodded her on.

Riki was watching her. Rin looked down at the ground.

“Komari-san already confessed before, is that right?” he asked.

Rin nodded.

“I'm sure that must have taken a lot of courage... so, now she really needs you to be courageous too, all right?”

Rin covered her face with her hands and made a long groaning sound.

“E-er...” Riki attempted.

“I can't believe it... It's actually happening...”

Through the gaps between her fingers, she saw Riki beam. “It is!”

In the background, she heard Kyousuke barking orders. “Nishizono – how's the script coming along?”

“Very nicely.” Mio was sitting at her desk table, pen gripped almost scarily tightly in her hand. “Although this is not my area of highest specialisation, I am well-versed in this subject and perfectly equipped to write on it.”

“Heh, is that so? I had no idea you were so interested in sentimental romantic stuff like this... hmp. It appears my image of you was wrong.”

“Yes, of course...” Mio murmured vaguely, already back to writing.

“Kyousuke!” Masato suddenly yelled, bursting through the door, panting and sweating. “I ran all over the school, and I have heaps of ideas!”

“What, already? But you must've just passed them all by, right?”

“Yes, but I wanted to get back as soon as possible!”

“No,” said Kyousuke. “Do it again.”

Masato almost fell over. “What?!”

Kyousuke crossed his arms, tossing his head back. “But if you only looked at a place while running by, you would only have been able to know what the place looks like, right? There would have been no time for you to be able to get a sensation of how the place _feels_. When it comes to something as important as a confession, the atmosphere is way more important than merely the sight of it.”

Masato twitched. “But-”

“No buts! You want Rin's confession to go well, right?”

Masato looked at Rin. Hands trembling around her face, Rin looked back.

Masato closed his eyes, smiling. “Heh... I'd forgotten. The most important thing right now is Rin!” With a loud cry, he burst through the door again. “FOR RIIIIIIIN!”

“Geez...” Riki muttered, while Haruka, who had started making a little braid on the side of Rin's head, laughed.

After a short time, Kurugaya reappeared as well.

“All right – the perfect date costume!”

The outfit in her hands unfurled, revealing a short, ruffled black maid's dress with fluttery white petticoat and a giant oversized bell at the collar.

“I'm not wearing something embarrassing like that!” Rin yelled, face heating up to volcanic temperatures.

“Damn.” Kurugaya sighed, throwing the dress onto the bed and taking another outfit from her arm. “Well, I didn't think that would work, so I made another.”

This time, she held up a pale green and white striped dress with a light blue ribbon trim. It flared out and fell down almost to knee-length, and had little puffed short sleeves.

“Woooow, that's so cute!” Kud squealed.

“I also have some matching sandals.”

“Did you make that just then?!” Riki asked, shocked.

“Yep. It wasn't difficult – all the supplies were already there in the handicrafts clubroom.”

“That's amazing... no, I don't know why I'm still surprised,” Riki muttered, shaking his head.

Haruka chuckled. “That's anego for ya – no matter what you want, she can do it!”

“The hair's coming out well, too,” Kurugaya said, leaning in close to peer at Rin; Rin shrunk away awkwardly.

“Yeah! We're getting close to being done now, actually!”

“So cute...”

All of a sudden, Mio appeared in front of them.

“Ah, is the confession script done now, then?” Kyousuke asked.

Without looking away from Rin, Mio nodded. The picture of seriousness, she handed the piece of paper carefully to Rin.

Reluctantly, Rin read it. Immediately her face went hot again.

She looked up at Mio, almost speechless.

“I-is this really what a confession sounds like...?”

Mio nodded quickly. “Absolutely. I am sure of it.”

Rin wracked her brain. No, yes – to her slowly growing horror, she realised that the confession scenes she'd read about in those comics had indeed seemed very similar to the one described in Mio's script.

“Why why why? What is it, Rinicchi?” Haruka cried, holding onto a brain with one hand while she tried to grab the paper with the other.

“Nothing!” Rin said, crumpling it into a ball and hiding it in her hands. She couldn't stop replaying the words in her head. “It's nothing!”

“Hm? Now I'm very interested...” Kurugaya said, but then sighed. “Well, we'll find out soon enough, anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we're all going to be watching the confession happen, aren't we?”

Rin wanted to cry. “You're watching it as well?!” she squeaked.

“Of course we are!” Haruka said cheerfully. “We wouldn't go through all this not to see what all our efforts were put into, right? So we're definitely going to be there, no matter what!”

 _Just when_ , Rin thought, in a small voice, _just when I thought this day could not get any more overwhelming..._

“Er, I don't think we absolutely need to be there...” Riki attempted, but Haruka shook her head.

“Nup! We'll be there! End of story!”

“But..”

A hand came to rest on Riki's shoulder. “We'll definitely be there to stand in support of Rin,” said Kyousuke.

“But I think she'd actually be supported better if we all stayed behind...” he muttered under his breath, but nobody paid any attention.

“All right!” Masato came bounding through the door again, this time with Kengo in tow.

“We found the number one perfect spot,” Kengo declared.

“It's over at the back of the school, in the backyard,” Masato said eagerly. “There are some flowers blooming there at the moment, and even some fruit trees! And it's all nice and closed-off and private! The atmosphere-” he sent Rin a quick grin and a wink, “...is _amazing_.”

Kyousuke smiled, eyes lowered. “Masato and Kengo...” He raised his head, then held out his fist, “today you did the Little Busters proud.”

Masato and Kengo gave identical expressions of pure glee and then both rushed to fist bump him. “Right!”

“Aaaaaand...done!” Kud took her hands away. “All I need now is a ribbon to finish it off!”

“Here-” Kurugaya reached up to the bow in her hair and pulled at it, untangling it from her long locks. “This should do, right?”

“Perfect!” Kud cried, and returned to Rin to tie it. “There – that's it!”

Everyone turned to look over the result.

“Wow, it really is so cute!” Riki said appreciatively.

“The yellow looks really good with her hair,” Mio added.

“Mm – it's so delicate and girly!” Masato agreed.

Rin squirmed in all the attention. “What?”

“Here-” suddenly, Kurugaya was holding a mirror. “Have a look.”

Rin peered into the glass, eyes wide.

The girls had left most of her long hair down, brushed to a smoothness that was almost startling compared to the half-hearted brushing she normally put it to. At the sides of her head, just above her ears, they had tied two little braids into the hair of her scalp.

“At the back, they go into a bigger plait, and at the top is the yellow ribbon!”

Rin nodded distantly. If she focused, she could see a little of the ribbon. She looked really, really...

“ _Cute!_ ”

Rin suddenly started and, feeling all of her previous embarrassment at once again, dove down to hide her head in knees. 

“Haha, you don't need to hide! You look really good!” Kyousuke assured her.

Rin just shook her head rapidly.

“All right, that seems about it then, isn't it? All that's left is for Rin to change into her date outfit!”

“Need any help with that?” Kurugaya asked.

“I-I can do it!”

Rin reached out for dress quickly. When Kurugaya gave it forward, and the sandals in another hand, she grabbed them and left.

As she went, she heard some voices in the background - “You know, you don't have to keep saying things like that...”

“But look – this way she gets all energised! Much better than reluctant Rin-chan, right?”

*

Rin was shaking. It wasn't even a mild shake, either. It was the full on, freezing cold weather, teeth-chattering shiver.

“Well, we've done all we can.” Kyousuke looked down at her kindly, hands in his pockets. “Now, it's all up to you.”

She stared at him helplessly. He made a soft 'hmp' sound, then turned.

“I believe in you,” he said over his shoulder before he left.

 _I don't!_ She screamed in her head. _Come back here! You're meant to protect me from bad things, right?!_

“I believe in you, too!” Masato said, waving one hand, and then Kengo nodded and said the same.

_I don't! What are all these people doing, believing impossible things?! You all need to get your heads checked! This is impossible!_

“I believe in you, Rin-chan!” Kud said, clapping two hands together.

“Same here!” Haruka agreed. “We toooootally all believe in you! Even Miocchi does!”

“...yes,” Mio said.

“See?”

_It's impossible! It's seriously impossible! What, do you think that if you keep saying 'believe' often enough it's gonna happen? Stop listening to my stupid older brother and his cheesy comics!_

“...Rin.” Finally, Riki smiled at her. “I believe in you.”

_So what? What difference does that make to me?! Believe in me all you want, I'm not gonna do it!!_

“And...” Riki coughed, looking at Rin carefully. “...I think Komari-san believes in you as well.”

_And I-... wait._

Rin's eyebrows twitched. Riki smiled again.

“Because, isn't that what she said just earlier today? The reason why she loves you... it's because you're brave. Right?”

_No. This isn't fair._

“Out of all the things, that's what she said most made her love you. And it's easy to see why. Out of all of us, you had the most difficulty making friends, right? And yet, look at where you are right now. Look at everything everyone all got together to do for you today. Because you were able to overcome your fears and make friends with them.”

Rin had never felt so betrayed.

“So...” Riki sighed. “Well, I guess that's an apology for them as well.” He rubbed the side of his head. “But, to put it in Komari-san's terms, maybe all of this stuff – the dress, the hair, the place, the words... maybe they're all kind of like a spell as well? Like 'yosh!'. If you think about it like that, maybe it won't be so bad.”

Rin was still staring. Finally, she nodded.

“Yes?” Riki brightened. “Good! So that's it, I guess. I believe in you, and everyone believes in you, and Komari-san believes in you. And if you remember all that, and let it give you power, then maybe you can use that power, right? If you can do that, I definitely think you can go through with it.”

Rin nodded again. It was hard to swallow.

Riki looked behind his back. The others were all hiding in the bushes already, chatting loudly, but Kyousuke alone stood before them, watching her and Riki.

“...so. Can you do this?” Riki asked, turning back.

_No. I can't. It's impossible._

Slowly, she nodded.

Kyousuke looked down, then up at the sky. He looked very happy, somehow.

“Really? Wow – cool! Cool, great!” Riki put his hands together, looking very relieved. “So, uh. I guess I'll leave you to it, then.”

_Wait, don't-_

But then he'd already left. She vaguely heard him saying something to Kyousuke, and Kyousuke responding, but then something caught her eye.

Up at the front of the clearing, Komari was fighting her way through the trees, looking very confused. She had a twig in her hair and she was pouting fiercely; it hadn't been an easy trip it seemed.

For a moment, everything froze.

 _This is is_ , Rin thought. _This is the moment._

One hand screwed up in the material of her skirt. The other clutched her script so tightly that the paper dug painfully into her hand.

“K-.... K-, K-....” she tried, but she couldn't get the words out.

No. 

She looked down at the skirt. She felt the paper in her hands. The sensitivity of her scalp were the braids were so delicately woven. And the prettiness of this clearing, and the little red flowers on either side.

No. She could do this. She could be brave.

She pursed her lips as much as she could. She gathered within herself all that she could manage, sucked in all of the power she could contain. Bowed, trembling, she waited just for a moment.

And then -

“KOMARI-CHAAAAAAAAN!”

Komari jumped, then twirled around to stare at Rin.

“R-Rin-chan...?”

Rin panted. The hand that wasn't curled in her skirt tremblingly raised to her face and she looked down at the words.

“The...” _Courage!_ She cried: “ _The times I've been with you have been the happiest I've ever known!_ ”

Komari was still staring. Rin couldn't think about that. She didn't have the capacity to think about that.

“Every time I'm with you, I'm filled with so much happiness it's like I could burst! And when I'm not with you, I can't stop thinking about when I can see you again!”

Behind her, on the edge of her consciousness, she could hear something.

“I-is that really the way confessions go...?”

And then a huffed “Yes, I'm sure of it. Between two girls, that's definitely the way confessions of love work.”

“F-...” No – don't pay attention. She screwed up her courage again. “From now on, I don't want to look at anything else but you!”

And then she noticed it. Standing there in front of her, unmoving, Komari still looked shocked. Except for her eyes. Those – they were wet.

“I...” It was too much. The embarrassment, the fear, the worry – everything she had felt today came over her all at once, and she was unable to stop her own eyes from tearing up as well. But she couldn't stop, now – it almost felt like the power had taken control of her body away from her.

“And I don't want you to look at anybody else, either!”

Komari's hands had travelled to her mouth. Rin gulped.

“That would be too sad! I don't want that at all!”

Tears were rolling over her cheeks now. Still, she yelled.

“I only want to be with you from now on!”

And then, one last time. She squeezed her eyes shut. Dropping the paper to the ground, Rin yelled into the air: “ _I really really wanna go out with you, Komari-chan!!!_ ”

This was so awful. This was horrible. She couldn't stop sniffing.

“...Rin-chan.”

Reluctantly, Rin opened her eyes, already half-wincing from the rejection.

Komari's hands were clasped in front of her mouth. Her eyes were closed too. In a moment, they fluttered open, tears clinging to her eyelashes.

“...RIIIIN-CHAAAAAAAAAN!”

Before Rin could react, Komari had run towards her and then swung her arms around Rin's middle. Caught off-guard, Rin overbalanced and they both fell to the ground.

“Oof- wh-what?!”

“Rin-chan...”

Komari was trembling, too. Straddling Rin, hands planted on the ground and head raised, she cried, “ _I really really wanna go out with you, too!!_ ”

Rin's breath caught.

“Y-...you do?”

Komari nodded three times. She sniffed. She was still crying. “Yeah! Didn't I already say that? I love you, Rin-chan!”

“...oh, but...” _But this was still difficult, so..._ But Rin couldn't complete that thought. Inside her chest, she felt so, so warm.

“Somehow, right now, I feel really...happy,” she said instead, quietly.

“That's right!” Komari said with a laugh. And then- “Ahhhhhh...!” Suddenly, she hugged Rin again. “I love you so much Rin-chan! Love you love you love you love yooooou!!”

Finally, Rin became distantly aware of cheering. Komari seemed to notice at the same time because she finally sat up, letting Rin sit as well.

“Ah...is that...”

“...everyone's here.”

Komari stared into the distance for a moment. Then she glanced at Rin. Though she was sort of smiling, her eyebrows were plunging right down.

“Ahah...hahahahawawawawawa did I just do all that in front of everyone?!”

Rin nodded.

“Y-you're lying...” Komari suddenly pushed her head into Rin's chest, arms wrapping around her again. “Ahhhh no waaaaay....”

“D-don't worry!! You can just do the 'that never happened' thing!” Rin tried to assure her.

“But I don't want that to not have happened...” Komari whined.

Rin paused, then blushed and nodded to herself. “...mm.” She put a hand on the top of Komari's head.

For a moment, there was complete silence. Rin blinked and turned behind her.

“...they're gone.”

Komari raised her head. “Uweh? Really?”

Rin nodded.

Komari sat up properly again. “Then... I guess it's because they wanted to leave us alone.”

“Oh, yeah.”

For a moment, neither spoke. Then Komari giggled.

“Heh...we're girlfriends, now, aren't we?”

Rin looked down. “...mm.”

Komari shuffled closed. Then, she took Rin's hand in hers.

“Hehe... it's kinda nice.”

It did feel nice. Rin nodded again, turning further away.

“Ahhh, and your hair's so pretty! Who did that?”

“Kud and Haruka.”

“Awww, I wish I'd been able to play with Rin-chan's hair as well...”

“You could.”

“That's right!” Komari raised a finger knowingly. “Because we're _girlfriends!_ ”

Rin swallowed. “...y-yes.”

“...can I kiss you?”

Rin's face went red.

“Yes.”

Komari's lips were soft.

“Was that good?” Komari asked, cheeks rosy.

Rin nodded. “Um... can we...” She raised her knees, hiding her face. “Do that... again?”

Komari smiled. “We can do it a million times!” she said.


End file.
